Ratchet-movement for screw-drivers



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

G. H. TALBOT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RATCHET-MOVEIVIENT FOR SCREW-DRIVERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19,162, dated January 19', 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUILLAUME HENRI 4rTALBOT, of Boston, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Ratchet- Movements for Screw-Drivers and otherToolslVhich Operate with a Rotary Motion; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal view of a screwdriver, with my invention applied exhibiting the box which holds theratchet movement in section. Fig. 2 is a transverse section in the linex, of Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

This invention consists in the combination with the sliding rag wheelsof an adjusting slide piece which is provided with forks or claws, ashereinafter set forth.

A is a metal box fitted and secured to the handle B, to receive arotating socket piece C. in which the screw driver D or other toolisheld, and the ratchet movement by which y rotary motion is caused tobe imparted to the said socket by turning the handle back and forth.

The socket piece C is turned atits back or upper end to fit a bearing Z)in the center of the back or top part of the box and its front or lowerend is tted to a bearing in the center of a ring CZ, which is fittedinto the mouth of the box and secured immovably therein by screws e. Thesaid socket piece O though free to turn easily in the box A is preventedmoving endwise therein by its back or upper end fitting close up againstthe back of its bearing b, and by a small collar f, near the front endfitting against the interior face of the ring cl. The socket piece Ccarries rigidly attached to it within the box A a double ragwheelconstituting strictly speaking two separate rag wheels or flat circularratchets a a having their teeth set opposite ways.

0, c are two rag wheels or circular face ratchets, the former of whichmatches with the upper rag wheel a, and the other with the lower ragwheel a on the socket piece C. These rag wheels c c are fitted to slideeasily upon the socket piece C, and within the box A, in a longitudinaldirection but are prevented from turning within the box and caused toturn with the handle by having the interior of the box made of polygonalform and providing the rag wheels o c with flanges whose perimeters areof a corresponding form as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

A helical spring g, is coiled around the socket C, between the back ofthe rag wheel c, and the back of the interior of the box A, and asimilar spring g, is applied in the same way between the rag wheel c andthe collar f, of the socket C, said springs exerting a tendency to pushthe wheels c o, each into contact with its respective wheel L or a. Itis however rendered impossible for both pairs of wheels a, c, and a, c,to be in gear at once, by two claws or forks z/ t which are attached toa sliding piece z' working in a recess in the interior of the box A andwhich stand between the wheels c 0', t-he said claws being set at suchdistance apart as to hold the said wheels c, c so far from each otherthat when one is in gear the other is out of gear and vice versa.

By drawing the sliding piece z' outward as far as possible from the boxA the wheel c is moved by the claw h out of gear with a and the wheel callowed to come into gear with that a as shown in Fig. l; and by pushingthe said sliding piece as far as possible into the box, the wheel, o, ismoved by the claw 71, out of gear with the wheel a, and the wheel a,allowed to come into gear with 0. The claws z, /L are let into recessesmade in the faces of the rag wheels c c, deep enough to prevent theirinterference with the rotation of the rag wheels a a, when the latterare in gear.

The sliding piece z' is furnished with a thumb piece at its outer endand has a spring applied to it to make it catch either above or below aprojection in one side of a slot in the mouth of the box and thus holdthe slide in position to keep either wheel c or c in gear. Whicheverwheel c or o is in gear always has its spring in a free or operativecondition so as to allow the teeth of the wheel to slip over its fellowwhen the handle is turned in one direction.

In usng the tool the operator takes the handle B firmly in his hand andturns it backward, and forward' on its axis without releasing his grasp.The rag wheel c or c that is in gear engages with its fellow a or a. asit turns in one direction and turns the socket C and with it the toolbut in turning the opposite way the teeth of the said wheel slip overthose of its fellow and no motion is produced.

It is obvious that as the two pairs of rag wheels a, c and a c havetheir teeth set opposite ways the act of throwing one wheel c, or c outof gear and the other one in gear by the movement of the slide z' willcause the direction of the rotary movement imparted to the socket C, tobe reversed.

Instead of constructing the boX A, with a socket C, to receive the toolD, the head of the tool may be fitted up in the same manner as thesocket C, as described.

This ratchet movement may be applied to auger handles, bit stocks or thehandles or stocks of all tools operating by a rotary motion and forwhich it is desirable to have a reversing motion.

A sliding rag wheel pressed by a spring into gear with a fixed ragwheel, is seen in the device of J. W. and A. Frost, 1855, I thereforedisclaim the same. In the said de.-

vice there is also seen a sliding piece by which the shank of the blademay be locked to the handle of the tool, so that on the reverse movementof the handle, the motion of the blade will be reversed. But to givethis reverse motion to the blade, the grip of the hand, upon the handle,must be constantly changed, the same as with an ordi nary screw-driver.

My improvement permits the moving of the blade of the tool, in eitherdirection, without changing the grip of the hand upon the handle.

1What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

The combination with the sliding rag wheels (C, c) of a'sliding piecehaving claws (It, L), substantially as and for the purposes described.

Gr. H. TALBOT. Vitnesses:

I. F. BUCKLEY, W. TUsoH.

